Production and Decay of Element 114 Isotopes with the BGS (LBNL) and TASCA (GSI)

During the last 10 years, the Dubna Gas Filled Recoil Separator (DGFRS) group has published numerous reports of the production and decay of superheavy elements (SHE) with Z=112-118 in $^{48}$Ca irradiations of actinide targets. Recently the production of element 114 in the $^{242}$Pu($^{48}$Ca,3-4$n)$ reaction was verified at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory using the Berkeley Gas-filled Separator (BGS). Later experiments at the BGS successfully extended the region of known SHE nuclides along the neutron-deficient side using the $^{242}$Pu($^{48}$Ca,5$n)^{285}$114 reaction. Almost concurrently with the BGS, the TransActinide Separator and Chemistry Apparatus at the GSI Helmholtzzentrum f\"{u}r Schwerionenforschung investigated the $^{244}$Pu($^{48}$Ca,3{\-}4$n)$ reaction and observed cross sections on the order of 10 pb for the production of element 114 when the more neutron-rich $^{244}$Pu target was used. An alpha-decay branch in $^{281}$Ds was also discovered, leading to the new nucleus $^{277}$Hs. Cross sections, decay modes and decay properties all agree with those published by the DGFRS group. Implications of these results on the field of heavy elements will be discussed.